You are here

State health department reports death due to hantavirus

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma Panhandle resident has died due to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, according to the State Department of Health.

The department said in a news release that the Texas County man’s death is the first hantavirus-related death in Oklahoma since 2001 and the third such death in the state since 1993, when hantavirus was first recognized in the U.S.

Health department officials did not release the man’s age or when he died.

Hantavirus is carried by wild rodents, particularly by deer mice in Oklahoma. The health department said hantavirus is usually transmitted to humans when they breathe in air that has been contaminated by particles from rodent droppings, urine or saliva. People can also become infected by touching the mouth or nose after handling contaminated materials, or through a bite from an infected rodent.

Early symptoms of hantavirus can include fever and muscle aches, chills, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and coughing. Symptoms usually appear within two weeks of exposure to the virus, but can appear as early as three days to as late as six weeks after infection, the department said.

Residents are urged to be particularly careful during spring cleaning of barns, vacant cabins and outbuildings.

Suggestions on cleaning include: ventilating areas for at least 30 minutes if they have been closed, spraying rodent nests and droppings with a solution of 1½ cups of bleach in a gallon of water while wearing rubber gloves, using a shovel or gloves to remove a nest or droppings and double-bagging the items before placing them in the trash, spraying the area a second time after removing the debris, and washing your hands with soap and water immediately after the cleanup.